


little lost things sometimes find their way home

by lovedbyshadows



Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Cute Kids, Dead People, Demon Powers, Demons, Families of Choice, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Harm to Children, Horror, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mental Instability, Near Death Experiences, Obsessive Behavior, Platonic Relationships, Protectiveness, References to Depression, Revenge, Sad, Save them, Sorry Not Sorry, a lot of bad stuff tbh, i have feelings and i need to get them out, lowkey though like barely there, so have this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2019-06-20 15:32:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15537327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovedbyshadows/pseuds/lovedbyshadows
Summary: Tell me your thoughts below! And if you guys want to talk, my Tumblr isiwishihadbrain.





	1. the prison (and a friend)

Six had always been a quiet child. Where others were loud and boisterous, she was silent and reserved. Where others breaths were wheezing and long, hers were small and short - even in panic. Where others screamed in pain when injured, she bit her lip and exhaled slowly through her nose. She was as quiet as a mouse and just as - if not even more so - sneaky. She could slip past unseen by all - even the most diligent of foes. None were ever aware that she even existed. And if they did suspect something amiss in their homes and workplaces, she could easily fit in any of the many nooks and crannies that littered the Maw - safe from even the most slender of fingers.

Yes, Six was a quiet child, and, as the impossible man groped the area around him - head twisting, jaws cracking - in an attempt to find the disobedient child who'd thought it could run away, she knew it was the only reason she was safely hidden away in plain slight. But if her breath quickened even slightly, the impossible man would hear her and know where she was. His long - too long, much too long, unnatural - arms would stretch towards her and his - spidery, invasive, long - fingers would snatch her up and then she'd be done for. He'd return her to the nursey and keep a close watch on her at all times. She'd be thrown back into her cage - prison, trapped, lost - and she would never feel the sun on her skin. She'd rot until it was time for her to be taken away. Like those before her, she'd be sent off to the Kitchen where the Chefs would take all too much pleasure in cutting her up for a meat pie.

She didn't want that - none of the children did.

So she kept her mouth shut and breathed slowly and evenly, keeping as silent as possible. The impossible man was getting awfully close, but she wouldn't lose her nerve. She needed to get out. She needed to see the sun, feel it on her skin. She needed to stop the monster in her dreams. So she shifted slightly in her crouched position and relaxed her body, opening her mouth in a silent sigh. She watched the impossible man from her peripheral and couldn't keep the small smile off of her face.

She could wait. After all, what was a few minutes, maybe hours, compared to nine years?

 

* * *

 

She emerged from sleep with little fanfare. Her eyes opened to gaze at an empty room and her cramped body ached to move. She obeyed, rising from her crouched position fluidly, with all the glory of youth. Her hood cast a shadow around her face, eyes glinting under her brown bangs. Said eyes surveyed the room for a long, skeptical moment before she deemed it safe to move from her hiding place. Slowly, she emerged from the open drawer in the play room and climbed to the top of the dresser, slipping into the bathroom through the little window at the top. Her feet connected with the wooden toilets with a soft thud and she stilled, ears straining for any kind of movement or sound. When she heard none, she hopped down and pried the bathroom door open to find a lonely room with only a sink, a box, and a lantern to fill it.

A strange hollowness - hopeless, you can't leave, the Maw will never let you go - filled her at the sight of the barren room. She'd heard rumors of boxes that were stacked under the window, where a rope made of bedsheets awaited, more than willing to help her escape. She'd heard these rumors from other children and, foolishly, she'd believed them. She crouched down and touched the cement floor with unsteady fingers, tracing the deep marks that marred it.

The impossible man had trapped her again.

She hear the crackle of the electricity turning back on, making the bars in each doorway deadly. She'd been clever in her decision to stay in hidden way in the play room when all the other children left for bed. Well, it would have been clever if there was a way to reach the rope. With a shaky sigh, she stood up and doubled back to the bathroom. Once there, she closed the bathroom door and pulled the box of toilet paper to the switch. Her muscles burned afterwards, but she couldn't dwell on that. Instead she used the box to reach the power switch and speed through the play room, not bothering to watch where she stepped. She knocked over the train, which was - stupid, be more careful little Lady, don't leave a trail for him to follow - unfortunate, but she did make it to the hall of doors safely. Her leg muscles felt stiff and unwilling and her lungs burned, but she was safe. For now.

She stopped a moment to rest before she crept along. She stopped, hiding behind a pillar - from the Eye, hide or it will see you, do you want to be stone? - as the light exposed everything but the little lost things and monsters that breathed in the shadows. She ran through the main area as quickly as she could, hiding here and there, and climbed up the crates and boxes to reach the second floor. Once there, she searched for any way to get out than to face the impossible man as he did his rounds.

On the far right, there was an open room, the floor back with a leech's ichor. She entered it, looking at the papers full of drawings that littered the floor and the drawings on the walls. After looking around the room thoroughly, she turned to leave, only to stop when her eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar glass doll. One that looked a lot like the monster that haunted her dreams. A rage filled her at the sight and she quickly turned around and threw the statue at a wall, watching in smug satisfaction as the dark magic left it. This was the second one she'd broken and she vowed that every one she saw would meet the same fate.

She turned to leave once more and froze when she heard a thump come from the bed. A low yelp accompanied it and she slowly turned so that she faced the thing making the noise. Six almost released a loud sigh of relief when she realized it was only a child and, she noted after a moment, not just any child. It was the notorious Runaway Kid, RK for short, who'd fallen from the third floor. He was well known by the children of the Maw, even to those who'd just arrived - the other children immediately took to telling the new arrivals stories of his many attempts to escape and how they had all failed. He was an example - proof that no matter how hard you tried, once the Bellhop got you, you were the - prisoner, captive, food - property of the Maw.

After a while, he'd ceased all attempts to escape. With all the scrutiny of the impossible man being rained down upon him, he wouldn't have been able to get to even the bathroom anyhow. He waited, feigning defeat and complacently. Six knew better. She knew of the calculating glint in those dark eyes - they reflected her own - and she knew that he would try again. Soon after his latest defeat, it became evident that he would be among those that would be taken away next. The signs were as simple as the impossible man feeding him a bit more than the other children and giving him a bit more time to play than the others. And she knew that that was why he was trying again so soon.

He was scared.

The boy started when he saw her, slipping into a crouch on instinct, and watched her with wary eyes. When she didn't do anything but stare at him, he relaxed and opened his mouth. His voice was hoarse and soft from disuse and she knew hers would be much the same. He spoke barely above a whisper, "Hello."

Six almost smiled at the small greeting. "Hello," she murmured back, bouncing on the heel of her feet.

"Where are you going?" he asked, dropping down from the bed. He stood there, unwilling to approach her, distrustful. She understood the feeling all too well. The children of the Maw didn't make friends - can't have friends if you're dead and lost, can you little Lady?

"Outside," she whispered back, her throat aching already. She winced and turned her head away.

The boy cracked a small smile. "Me too. Do you want to go together?"

She considered it for a moment before nodding her head. It might prove to be more trouble - kindness will be your undoing little Lady - than it's worth, bringing him along, but she was tired of being alone.

"Then let's go."

She nodded again and left the room quickly, unwilling to waste any more time.

On the way to the door, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Six," she replied. He'd humed and the conversation fell before it even began.

Quickly and silently, they made their way back to the door with music coming from it. She looked to RK after a moment, but he was walking along the crates. She hissed in alarm when he fell from her sight, He landed on another with a soft thud and she made to follow him. She almost fell on top of him. He looked at her and crept through a crate. She followed after a moment, her eyes roaming over the hidden room's bloody floor in disgust before she looked for him.

RK smiled at her, holding one of the nomes in his arms. She gawked at the sight. She'd never seen one before - she'd only ever heard their tittering sound and clicking footsteps. The grey little nome had no eyes that she knew of on its little cone head, but she knew it was looking at her. She waved and lit the lamp in the room for the little creature before making a waving motion at RK. The boy sighed and set the nome on its feet and followed her out. The sound of the nome moving traveled to their ears before it disappeared and RK smiled at her.

"What?" she whispered.

"She's going to follow us," he answered with a glint in his eyes. This answer gave Six some pause.

'Her'? So the boy could speak to the nomes? This would certainly answer more than a few questions about the Runaway Kid, albeit raising a few as well. She knew that it was said that the little lost things of the Maw favored him - the children whispered jealously about it when their hearts longed for a home long forgotten, only present and real in their dreams. She thought that that might be the reason why it always took so long for the impossible man to find him.

She let this thought simmer in her head for a moment before she pushed it away. She'd come back to it later when they had time to rest. Right now, they had to move. She nodded to show that she'd heard him and motioned with her head to the boxes. RK gave her a boost to the top and she lay flat on her stomach once she got up there, reaching a hand out to him. He took it and once they were on the path again she put her finger to her lips as she slipped past the door. RK followed behind her quietly and when they heard and saw the impossible man enter, they hid under the bed nearest to them and waited for him to pass.

The impossible man didn't linger for long and left as quickly as he came and they both released a breath of relief. Once they were sure he was gone, they left the cover of the bed and continued into the room where the toys - black blood, little hands, the leech's eat the disobedient, you don't want that, do you? - and a few crates resided. Six searched the room for any small openings to find one just above a shelf - a vent. RK tugged on her raincoat and pointed to the crates. Right beside them was a nome. When it noticed her, it scurried away and RK watched it go with a soft look in his eyes.

Six watched as RK climbed the crates and waited for her at the opening. She followed and whispered a small thanks before she entered the vent. RK followed after her and she flicked her lighter on as they crept through the darkness. Soon they dropped down onto a box and she leaped down onto the wooden floor, waiting for RK, ignoring the sharp pangs beginning to plague her stomach. RK went ahead of her, scaring a rat that her eyes followed hungrily.

"It's clear," he said after a moment. "No one's in the dining hall."

Six winced at the thought of the dining hall and food - meat, flesh, blood, that boy has quite a lot of it, don't you think? - and made to follow RK, only to clutch at her stomach as the huger became too much too fast. She panted, holding one arm over her stomach as she followed RK. He hadn't noticed yet. Another pang stopped her in her tracks and she bit her lip to stifle her cry of pain, leaning over as she waited it out. She'd barely made it past the stair before almost collapsing at another pang. This time she did groan, unable to keep it in, and panted harder as the pang lingered. RK made a soft noise of alarm.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

She grit her teeth, saliva pooling in her mouth when he came closer. "Hungry," she managed, through quick gasps. He reacted the way she expected. He panicked.

"We don't have any food," he whispered, his breaths coming in faster and shallower. Six nodded and struggled her way to the box a the end of the hall. Once there, she curled up into a ball and splayed a hand on her stomach, rubbing rhythmically. RK watched her with wide - squishy soft eyes, full of blood and fluids, don't you want a taste? - eyes. His head twitched when he heard the rat squeaking. He swallowed and turned to her. "It's okay. I'll be right back."

She nodded, her expression pained under the shadow of her hood, and let her eyes fall close. She whimpered through wave after wave after wave of hunger as she waited for him to come back. She opened her eyes when she heard a squelch and the quiet slap of feet against concrete getting louder. RK stood in front of her, his eyes wet with unshed tears and his hands covered in blood, clutching the body of a rat in his hands. He held it out to her in silence and she took it greedily, opening her mouth wide as she brought it up to her face. There was another wet squelch as she bit into the dead rodent's soft underbelly, blood gushing into her mouth and down her jaws. RK's face paled, but he didn't move. He stayed even as she bit and tore a the flesh of the rat. He stayed as he listened to the muffled sound of bones popping out from their sockets and the jarring, loud crack as she bit through them, grinding them into a white paste with her teeth. He stayed as she became one of the monsters that lived and hid with the little lost things in the shadows.

And when she looked up at his tear stained face after the rat was gone, only scraps of fur remaining, she whispered, "Thank you."

He only shook his head and scratched at the drying blood on his hand and clothes. Six herself was clean, despite her messy eating. Her raincoat had protected most of her from the mess, only her mouth and hands had suffered and she'd licked those clean. She took his hand in her and pointed to the broken bars above them. He nodded and began climbing the boxes, his hands leaving bloody prints on everything he touched. He peered through the bars and dropped down, Six right behind him. He smiled shakily when they entered the showers and ran to one of the leaks and scrubbed at his hand and clothes roughly. Six hovered close to him, listening to the quiet, almost inaudible croaking of leeches. He finished quickly and they left the infested room.

They crossed over the bridge and, ignoring the electric bars, climbed their way to the swinging bundle of crates and up the chain to the switch and lever. Once there, he jumped and puled the switch while she grasped the lever, waiting. It took a while to figure out the exact moment she was supposed to move it again, but she got it and soon they were traveling to the other side. They climbed up the chain once more and jumped to the left, landing on the cement roughy.

The next room they entered was barred off with electric doors. Six gave RK a boost and he used his weight to pull the switch, effectively cutting the power off. He dropped down just as she switched her lighter on and together they slipped past the inactive bars.

"He's going to notice that," he said to her quietly. She made an affirmative sound in response.

Once in the next room, Six ran to light the lamp, exposing the nome trapped in a crate. RK gasped angrily and immediately began attempting to pry the crate open. With the help of Six, the door swung open and the nome came running out. RK spoke to it in a soft voice, in a language she couldn't understand and hugged it. Six was starting to think that this would be a running thing with him.

After the nome scurried away and Six pushed the crate attached to a rope into the opening in the floor. The noose that they'd seen when they left the dining hall area came racing to the top and RK glanced at her. She nodded and leaped into the opening, grabbing the rope. RK leaped just as it started going back down and dug his fingers into her sides. Soon they were back to where they'd started. RK dropped down and caught Six when she did as well. He gripped her hand in his and with the aid of her lighter together they ran through the showers, over the bridge, and through the bars as fast as they could.

Once at the bars, they stopped to catch their breath and rested a moment. Six sat down, her back resting a stack of boxes and crates, and looked to the next room. RK notice this and crept to the doorway. Before he could do anything stupid, Six grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him way from the doorway. "Eye," she hissed when he turned to give her a look. He paled at the word and looked at the doorway once more.

"How are we going to get passed it?" he asked after a moment. Six let go of her shirt in favor a flicking her lighter on and pointed at the shadows it cast. "But there's a moving cart out there!" RK protested. "If we mess up once we're dead."

Six nodded and got up, her legs appreciating the movement. "Follow," she said to him before she ran out into the room with the Eye. RK made an alarmed noise and raced after her, hand finding itself attached to the sleeve of her raincoat. She led him to the wall the Eye was imbedded in and together they ran to the other side.

Together they left the room and jumped down stairs and onto another bridge. They continued onward and stumbled when the bridge split in the middle and began retreating into itself on both sides. Six found herself reaching for her companion's hand in a moment of worry and pulled him with all her strength, throwing him onto the other side of the bridge as she herself jumped. He landed safely and jumped onto the box, reaching for her with panic in his eyes. She gripped his hand tightly in hers and, with a strength, she didn't know he possessed pulled her up with him and together they jumped to the safety of the other doorway.

They landed in a pile of shaking limbs and stuttering chests. RK got up and turned to her, worry furrowing his brow underneath his long hair. Six stared at him for a moment before her mouth opened in silent laughter, her shoulders shaking with the force of her hysteria. RK watched her for a moment, something warm making the corners of his mouth twitch before he began laughing as well. Unlike hers, his was loud and uncontrolled and for a moment she found herself worrying that they would be found out, but the warm bubbly feeling in her chest crushed that worry and she let herself bask in the comfort of her companion.

When they'd calmed down, RK gave her that look again - the open one full of warmth - and something in her chest panged at the sight of it. She blinked in surprise when he shoved a hand in her face and took it. RK pulled her to her feet and into a hug. Six stiffened for a moment before she cautiously returned the embrace. When he released her, RK smiled.

"You know, I've never gotten this far before," he confessed. "I'm glad I met you."

He took her hand once more and Six briefly wondered if this was going to become a normal occurrence. If it did, she wouldn't mind. It grounded her in a way that didn't make her feel trapped.

Together they walked to the slowly opening door in front of them, accompanied by three nomes, one of which she swore she hadn't seen before. And she felt something rekindle in her heart - hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me your thoughts below! And if you guys want to talk, my Tumblr is [iwishihadbrain](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/iwishihadbrain).


	2. the lair (and an impossible man)

Through the doors was a gaping chamber full of stairs. Six started up the first two flights straight away and paused before she made her way up the last two. RK came to a stop behind her, panting lightly.

"Do you want to go in there?" he asked receiving a nod as an answer. "Okay," he said, taking her hand in his as they walked in the little room. The room was simple enough, full of filing cabinets, a desk and its chair, and a cupboard. Six walked to the desk and startled when a nome came barreling out from under it and into the cupboard.

"Nome," she mumbled as she followed it to the cupboard. She opened the door to find it empty of anything - not even a hanger was in it. Behind her she heard RK walking towards her, stepping on the one tile in the room stained in black ichor and causing the back of the cupboard to raise up.

RK ran to inspect it and huffed when it closed. Six walked back to the desk and pulled the chair to the tile, opening the cupboard's secret door once more. Together they entered the hidden room and froze at what was inside. Inside the room was a metal counter with a button on top and, on the wall, it was placed in front of was a massive eye. It didn't look like the Eye's that littered the Prison, but it struck fear into the two children all the same.

Six let go of RK's hand and jumped onto the counter to stand in front of the button. RK made a noise in the back of his throat and went to retrieve the nome. The nome leaped into the boy's arms and together they watched as Six pressed the button. The three of them held their breath as the eye opened to reveal a scene of two beds in the nursery, one containing a child while the other was empty.

RK's breath stuttered in his chest and he whispered, "That's my bed."

Six glanced down at him from her spot, observing his shaking form for a moment before she pressed the button once more. The eye closed and opened to reveal three nomes in a small room, with a candle on a box above a vent. Six waited a moment before pressing the button again, this time revealing the Kitchen pantry with one of the Chefs lurking in the corner. Six pushed the button again, uninterested in the current scene. The eye opened to something that struck fear in Six's heart - the Lady's Quarters. Her stomach twisted as she heard the faint singing echoing in the home - what used to be her home. She pressed the button again and almost cried out when it opened to reveal the Lady sitting in a corner, brushing her hair while she sang. With a silent snarl, she pressed the button again, closing the eye.

"Are you okay?" RK asked, releasing the nome from his embrace, a small hand reaching up to touch her ankle. She nodded and rested her forehead against the cool metal in front of her. She shivered for a moment and leaned her weight against the button once more to reveal a small mirror resting on a pillow. She quickly pressed the button after that, leaving the button and room behind her.

Once in the tiled room again, she moved the chair back to the desk. RK followed her up the last two flights of stairs and to the door at the top. Off to the side, there was a box and, above that box, there was a window, perfect for the two of them. One at a time they crawled through and fell into what they both knew was the impossible man's room. The nomes that were in the room scurried away at there less than silent entrance. RK followed their noise into the dark room adjacent to the bedroom. At the far end, there was a locked door.

They needed a key to continue.

RK retreated back to the bedroom and walked to stand in front of one of the stretched out dressers in the room, positioning his hands so that Six could use them as a step up. With RK's help, she grabbed onto one of the handles and began climbing up the dresser. Once on top, she surveyed the room again. Below her, on the table, there was the key, and above her, on a shelf, there was another statue. Six took care of the statue first and then retrieved the key, ignoring RK's questioning look.  
  
They made their way to the door and unlocked it, leaving the lock and key behind them. They pushed open the heavy door and slipped past it. RK ran ahead and picked up the toy monkey in front of them. He threw it at the button an the wall, calling the elevator to them. Six entered the elevator and watched as RK threw the monkey at the button on the inside of the elevator, effectively breaking the toy.

As the elevator went down, she began to feel hunger pangs again. She gritted her teeth against them and when the elevator door opened, she ran outside into the dark hall full of pipes. Before she could get out of the light cast by the elevator, the hunger got her. She coughed, scaring a few rats, and clutched her stomach. RK raced to her and took her by the arm. She leaned on him for support and together they made their way through the darkness with her lighter lighting the way, ducking under pipes and pausing when another wave hit her. They only stopped once so she could light a lantern.

Shortly after lighting the lantern, Six collapsed as the hunger became agonizing, her eyes glazing over as she listened to the singing in her head. RK yelped and put the arm he was holding around his neck, taking the most of her meager weight on his frail form. Together they stumbled out of the hall of pipes and into a lit clearing with a cage in the middle - a cage with a slab of meat inside. Her eyes zeroed in on the bloody chunk and refused to leave it as her body trembled. RK followed her gaze and tightened his grip on her side.

"No," he said, lowly. "It's a trap. I can catch another rat."

Six gasped and whimpered, hands tugging at his clothes weakly. "Hungry," she cried, "hurts."

RK looked at her, his dark eyes unreadable before he released her. She threw herself at the cage and crawled inside, shoving the raw cut in her mouth as soon as she got her hands on it. RK pushed her to the side from behind her and she absentmindedly made room for him as she gorged herself. She wiped her mouth when she finished and turned to look at RK. He was curled in on himself in the corner and she opened her mouth to force herself to speak more than one word for once, but a hand closing the door stopped her. Her head whipped back to look at RK again, but he refused to look at her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she mimicked him and curled up, closing her eyes.

 

* * *

 

She woke to the sound of metal on metal and waited. She heard the shutter close behind the impossible man and waited a bit longer before she moved. She opened her eyes to a room full of cages - cages that had children in them. She turned slightly and her mouth opened in a silent scream when she realized RK wasn't with her anymore. She stood and immediately began throwing herself against the sides of her cage so that it fell. When it fell, the top popped open and she crawled out. Once out she looked for a way out.

There was a rope connected to the shutter and a cage that she could pull over to reach said rope. She did just that and used the rope to give herself enough momentum to jump through the shutters before they closed. She made it into the room just as they closed and, after she'd confirmed that there was indeed no way out, turned around to climb them. She climbed until she reached the room above and jumped off, stopping to light the candle beside the tub, continuing to the opening in the wall.

She fell onto a box with carpet on it and paused, straining her ears. Yes, that was the impossible man. His breathing patterns - and clicking jaws - were unmistakable. She dropped down onto the carpet below her and crouched, creeping forward slowly. Her eyes searched for a familiar mop of hair or blue shirt, but she found none so she pressed on. She crept passed the stacked cages and into the impossible man's workplace. She stopped at the end of the roll of carpet, holding her breath as she watched the impossible man wrap up a thankfully unfamiliar child. Her eyes left the back of the impossible man and searched for her companion. She found him curled up in the open cage in front of her. She breathed a silent breath of relief and her eyes flickered to the impossible man once more before she decided to risk it.

She almost screamed when he sniffed the air, but she didn't stop. She crossed over the noisy wood floor and into RK's cage before the impossible man could move from his workstation. RK lifted his head up and his mouth dropped open in surprise when he saw her. Tears wet his eyelashes and she put a hand on his knee, solidifying her presence. He smiled and took the hand on his knee in his own, squeezing as if his life depended on it. She flicked her eyes to the impossible man and he nodded. Together they left the inside of the cage and climbed over it, dropping down onto the carpet on the other side. They paused and jumped across the wooden floor and onto the carpet, muffling their landing.

Six pulled RK through the opening with her and searched the new room for a means of escape. She found it in the lever resting on the floor. She let go of RK's hand and put the lever in the slot on the wooden post. RK peered into the opening and gave her a thumbs up. She began turning it, wincing at the loud grating noise it caused. The impossible man shrieked and the door opened, but it was too late. The two children had already jumped down the chute and away from his reaching arms. They fell on a pile of shoes and continued onward in the pipes, ignoring their fast beating hearts.

RK went ahead and Six followed. Both of them jumped when some shoes fell in front of them. They pushed on and dropped down into an opening with leaks in it. Water covered the floor and Six trekked through it to light the lantern in the opening. The light of the lantern revealed a ladder and, instead of pressing on, RK began to climb it. Six sighed and followed him, listening to the sounds of nomes. They crawled through the pipe and into a familiar room.

"We saw this in that eye," RK told her as he smiled at his nome friends. The nomes pointed to the hole in the floor and the two jumped in it, landing at the end of the pipe they were previously going to. Six pushed ahead a fell on a suitcase in a room full of shoes. RK dropped down behind her and together they ran through the shoes and away from the thing living in them.

They came to the clearing that they got captured in and cautiously began backtracking. After they'd entered the hall of pipes, the impossible man dropped down behind them, shrieking when he smelled them.

They ran.

They ran through the hall of pipes and back into the elevator. Six pulled RK into an open box with her and they calmed their breaths as the impossible man entered the elevator, pressed the button and began searching for them. RK hissed something under his breath when the elevator dinged and two nomes scurried through the open door, causing the impossible man to give chase. They lingered in their hiding spot for a moment before they followed the impossible man out.

The room was empty - devoid of anything but a box full of blocks and a toy monkey. RK picked the monkey up and looked at the moving plank of wood he was standing on. He pointed at the box of blocks and she nodded. She began pushing it off the plank, RK yelping when he fell through the floor. Six followed him and took the dancing monkey away from him, placing it next to her on the ground. She brought a finger to her lips, signaling to be quiet and he nodded. Together they explored the place below the impossible man's feet. One of the nomes that drew the impossible man's attention away from them was hiding there. RK waved after it as it scurried away. Six left RK's side to explore further, destroying a statue she found at the end of the room under the floorboards.

When she's returned, RK touched the planks of wood forming a makeshift ladder. One at a time they climb up and into the impossible man's territory. Once there, RK picked up a dancing monkey toy and threw it. It began banging its little instruments together, shrieking as it did so. The impossible man shrieked when he registered the sound and when he entered the room, they crept away. RK repeated the motion of throwing a monkey. It diverted the impossible man's attention and they successfully climbed up the dresser and slipped away through a vent. They then continued in the vent until they fell into a dimly lit room full of clocks.

They crouched low to the ground and, using the carpet as aid, crept silently through the room. At the door, both of them leaned their weight against it until it fell, causing a loud crash as it took a clock with it. Six pulled RK into the room and onto the carpet just as the impossible man came slinking down to investigate. RK gripped her hand tightly in his as they slipped past him and towards the door. RK released her hand to pick up a shoe and just as he was about to throw it, the clocks begin to chime in unison. He threw it then and together they ran away from the man and into a library, closing the door behind them.

The library was absolutely full of books - there were great, towering stacks of books. Six paid it little mind and stalked towards the desk barring the door. RK slipped under the desk, crooning deep in his throat, and she knew that he was speaking to a nome. She ignored it and pulled herself onto the desk and settled in to wait. A couple of minutes passed and RK pulled himself on the desk with a smile. There was a tittering sound and the tell-tale click of the nome and he laughed. Six gave him a questioning look from under her hood, but it went unnoticed. She shrugged it off and started climbing up the shelves of books.

At the top, she lit a candle and waited for RK, watching the swinging piano with a calculating eye. When RK has joined her, she jumped on the piano, its keys singing their songs as he weight collided with them. RK huffed and followed her. Six waited for the Maw to tilt just-so so that she could leap onto the bookshelves in front of her. When he had, she climbed up a bit and waited. RK grunted as he hit the shelves, his fingers digging into the shelves for purchase. Together they climbed their way up, dislodging a few books here and there. Before they reach the top, the impossible man dropped down - jaws cracking - and slinked into the room ahead of him.

RK pulled himself up after the impossible man was out of their line of sight and crouched low on the carpet as he waited. Six joined him moments after and together they make their way through the room full of shelves and little knick-knacks. Once on the other side of the room, Six began climbing up a stack of books that led to an opening. RK made to follow her, but she shook her head. He huffed and moved to hide behind the books, shielding himself from roaming fingers. Six sighed and dropped down into the other room.

Unlike the other few rooms they'd passed through, this one was brightly lit and contained a TV. And a lever. Just what they needed. Six turned the TV, grabbed the lever, and waited. She didn't have to wait long. Soon the impossible man entered the room, his hands and fingers twitching as they searched for anything amiss. Six waited until he was within reach of the TV before she left the room. She met RK on the other side and they ran under the shelves as they made their way back to the library. Six immediately inserted the lever in the slot and began turning it. RK took to standing at the edge and watching the piano.

Behind them, over the music of the TV, the impossible man shrieked. Six felt panic making her heart jump in her chest and turned the lever faster. It stopped and she let it go and ran to the edge. RK jumped onto the piano and to the other side, eyes watching her. The impossible man reached for her and she was just about to scream when she heard it. The muffled sound of neck bones popping and jaws cracking. Her eyes flickered to RK and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him mimicking the impossible man. It sent shivers down her spine and even seemed to shock the impossible man himself. She shook herself from her stupor and jumped as the piano swayed near her. RK caught her as she leaped to him and he yanked her through the opening. They fall on a cart full of garbage, which cushioned their fall.

RK pulled away from her and dropped down from the cart as she stared at him blankly. He looked away in shame, jaws clicking and neck popping as he did. There was a relief in his eyes as he did so and she wondered how long he had wanted to do it but had stopped out of fear for her reaction. She dropped down next to him and hesitantly pulled him into an awkward embrace. She leaned her hooded head against his shoulder, feeling the vibrations of his jerky movements. His body froze and his twitching ceased. Slowly, he relaxed and returned the embrace.

They stayed like that for a few more moments before they decided they couldn't linger any longer. RK smiled at her and she returned it awkwardly, his jaw clicked audibly and she suppressed her shiver at the sound. She pushed past him and looked ahead. The cart was on a track, in the middle of the said track a pipe had burst, and at the end was a door. RK pulled the cart and she walked behind it to push. They slowly pushed the cart past the pipe, carefully avoiding the deadly steam, and to the door. Six climbed the cart and grabbed the doors handle, using her weight to open. RK walked forward and waited for her to let go of the door before continuing. They climbed through an opening and into a passage full of leaky pipes. Six lit the lantern in their path as it had become a habit and RK pointed to the crack in the passage - perfect for twitchy hands and fingers. Six crouched low to the ground and crept forward, muscles coiled and ready to spring at a moments notice. RK followed behind her closely, jaw clicking from side to side as his teeth ground together. Six ignored the unsettling sound to focus on the task at hand, though she briefly wondered if this was what he felt like when she ate.

Before they could pass the holes in the walls, a hand shot out and began groping the area around it. Six paused and waited for the most opportune moment to run. The hand reached up to grope at the pipe above it and she dashed forward, RK hot on her tail. The impossible man shrieked and withdrew his hand and the two children breathed a sigh of relief. They fell out of the vent shortly after and when the door's handle next to them began moving, they ran as fast as their little legs could carry them. The impossible man caught up fast, but they pushed their legs to the max and just barely slipped away from his sticky fingers. The shutter door was blocked so they were still in danger. The children pressed themselves to the wall in desperation and waited. If only the cage would break. That gave Six an idea and she tugged on RK's shirt. He leaned towards her, eyes never leaving the roaming hands.

"Break," she whispered, pointing at the cage. His eyes flickered to the cage before zeroing back onto the hands. He nodded and they waited for the hands to leave the cage before they ventured near it. They grabbed opposite sides of the crate and pulled. There was a creaking strain before the cage broke and the shutter door closed, severing the much too long limbs of their foe. The impossible man screamed in agony and rage, but they ignored it and climbed up a cage to reach the open vent above them.

They had survived the Lair of the impossible man, but could they survive the Kitchen of the Twin Chefs?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to chat, my Tumblr is [iwishihadbrain](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/iwishihadbrain).


	3. the kitchen (and the masked twin chefs)

The two children woke up cold and stiff after their escape from the Lair. They'd slept in the vents, which was a stupid idea. RK said as much after they'd woken up, clicking his jaws in distaste. Six had learned as they traveled to the Kitchen that he had different clicks for different emotions. It was hard to pinpoint which was which, and it was still unsettling to hear but that would fade in time, but she was confident she could do it. She wished she could say as much, but she hadn't spoken to anyone in years. It wasn't something she did even before she was sent away. She had always been a quiet child and while that aided her now she also felt it was a curse.

"C'mon," RK mumbled, his voice echoing down to her in the vent. "Let's go."

She complied and followed him out of the vent. They emerged to the sounds of a squeaking pulley - something that was familiar. It was the meat hooks. Six shivered at the thought of what they were going to do and beside her RK did the same. They each grabbed onto a meat hook and let it carry them further to the Kitchen. On the way, in the middle of an open space that gave the illusion of being outside, was one of the Chefs. He was smoking and Six listened in disgust as he coughed harshly.

She wished he would die.

The meat hooks took them to a room full of cloth wrapped bodies - children, no doubt. They let go and the bodies below cushioned their fall some. Six picked herself up and began her trek down the bodies. RK slipped his way down and groaned from the fall, holding his elbow close to his chest. Sxi laughed breathily, but she was cut off from a hunger pain. She leaned forward and listened to her stomach's grumbles. RK winced at how loud the sound was and began walking forward. Six leaned against the bodies behind her - so many bodies, little Lady, no one would notice if one or two went missing now, would they? - and winced from the pain. She pulled herself together and forced herself to walk forward - away from temptation. She walked forward blindly, following the distant sound of RK's worried clicks and collapsed onto the floor when the hunger became too much all at once. A foot ahead of her RK gasped and she heard a snap followed by a rat's panicked squeaking. She pushed herself up with some difficulty and towards the sound of the rat.

It was in a mousetrap, helpless, the perfect prey. Her mouth watered and she pushed passed RK. She fell to her knees and ripped the rat cruelly from its prison. Its squeaks picked up volume as her teeth sunk into its neck and she sucked its very lifeforce from its body with two quick bites. RK looked relieved when she pulled away from the rat and left most of it there. He sent her a small smile and together they left the dead rat behind. They climbed over metal bins of dead bodies and made their way to the Kitchen doors. They pushed past the broken glass, which at a closer look proved to be one of the monsters statues, and into the Kitchen. There were more bins of bodies inside, a cart, and a window. RK and Six pushed the cart to the window and used it to reach the said window.

On the other side was the pantry they'd seen through the eye and the sound of someone sharpening knives. They crouched low to the ground and ducked under counters and the like to sneak past Chef #1. It was by no means easy. The Chef almost seemed to follow them and, by the time they had made it passed the ovens and to the locked metal door, they were ready to faint from relief. Of course, since the door was locked, they had to search for a key. And since it definitely wasn't in the Kitchen, they'd have to search elsewhere. And that only meant one thing - they'd have to go up.

RK peered around the corner to check the coast before they climbed the shelves of the cupboard. Once they were safely on top of the said cupboard, they jumped into the rafters and crouched low for balance as they started to the supplies of fish at the far end of the room. Up they climbed, using fish heads for grips and footholds until finally, they'd made it to the vent at the top. They crawled through the vent and into a bathroom with two toilets shoved together. Six didn't want to ponder the implication of the arrangement and they quickly left the room. On the way down the hall to what Six assumed was a bedroom, they ran into a nome. RK spoke to the nome in low tones and waved at it when it left. He turned to Six when it was out of sight.

"The other Chef is in there right now," he revealed. "The key's in there too. We have to be careful."

Six nodded and turned to push the bedroom door open. They cautiously entered the room and hid under the bed when Chef #2 woke up. He left the room immediately and left them to their devices. Six crept out from under the bed and jumped onto the radiator to get the key. She had to use momentum to get the key down and she definitely bruised her knee when she fell, but it worked. After they used the elevator to get back down to the ground floor. They were going to head straight for the door, but RK paused, his head tilted and his nostrils flared. He'd slipped away from Six's side so she'd followed him and caught him throwing a jar at the ground. It broke to reveal a nome that RK immediately grabbed and the sound was like a gunshot to Six. She heard Chef #1's shriek and dragged RK under the shelve of the pantry to hide. The nome in his arms stilled when she touched it and she held her breath as Chef #1 looked around the pantry, eyes full of suspicion. He gave up quickly and Six let out a quiet breath of relief.

She turned to RK after, anger making her face heat up. "Reckless," she hissed. "Stupid. Almost killed."

"I'm sorry," he hissed back before gesturing to the nome in his arms, "but I couldn't leave him like that."

"Yes," she said unkindly. "You could. Your life or theirs. You choose. I will not help again."

He stared at her in disbelief and she sniffed, ignoring the wetness on her lashes. Slowly, his face softened and he released the nome. She ignored him and left the safety of the pantry. He followed and they slowly snuck their way back to the door. Six opened it and the pushed it open. They didn't linger and slipped into the next room. It had a big sausage maker in the middle and when Six climbed up to pull the rope only one slab of meat fell through. If they were going to use a string of sausages to reach the vent, they'd need at least two more. RK went under the sausage maker and Six left him there, choosing to go up to the freezer instead. She pulled the meat off the table and off the meat hook and deposited them both on the false floor before she returned to RK.

She climbed up to the rope once more and pulled it, causing the meat to fall in the sausage maker. RK began grinding them and soon they had an acceptable sausage string to swing on. They used it to reach the vent and crawled through it to enter a freezer. Six and RK raced to the door of the walk-in freezer and paused, eyes searching. RK pointed at a switch next the elevator and jumped it grab it. After they ran back into the freezer and hid in a box. And, sure enough, Chef #2 walked in and began gathering ingredients.  
When they deemed him far enough away, they ran into the elevator, the noise making Chef #2 shout. The elevator took them up one floor and before Chef #2 can catch them, they hid away in a vent. Chef #2 looked for them briefly before he entered the next room. Six and RK snuck into the room and eyed the key on Chef #2's workstation.

"Stay here," Six murmured to her companion before she slipped into the other room. Once there, she checked for RK.

After making sure that he was indeed safe and ready, she turned on the meat grinder and hid. Chef #2 shrieked and ran in to investigate. While he did that RK grabbed the key and Six ran out to join him. They entered the elevator once more and quickly unlocked the door and went down the trash chute before Chef #2 could find them. Six breathed a sigh of relief and flicked her lighter on to search for a way out. As she searched, she came across another statue and just how many did the monster have? She broke it and turned to see RK standing in front of a wall of wooden boards. At the top was a vent and after testing that yes, it was climbable, they climbed through the vent and into the sounds of the Twin Chefs cleaning dishes.

They crept through the vent until they reached an opening they could crawl out of. After that, they crept through the room full of sinks and dishes until they reached a switch. RK jumped up to pull it while Six kept a look-out. Then they slipped back into the main area and climbed up a stack of dishes when the Chefs were looking away so that they wouldn't be followed. The Chefs saw them despite that cautious move.

RK climbed up his meat hook until his feet were resting on the hook, making it impossible for them to grab him with their stubby hands. Six failed to notice until it was too late and she had to let go of her meat hook. She ran and ducked under a table to escape Chef #2's grasp. She kept running and jumped for RK's meat hook, a sob of relief leaving her when he grabbed her by her coat, saving her from certain death.

They clung to each other as the meat hook took them away from the Twin Chefs, adrenaline coursing through their veins. Once tey'd reached them, they dropped down onto a couple of pipes and crawled through a crack in the metal wall, ignoring the enraged screaming echoing behind them.

They were almost out. They could do this. Six knew they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you want to chat, my Tumblr is [iwishihadbrain](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/iwishihadbrain).


	4. the guests (and a nome)

Six peered out of the broken of pipe and turned to throw RK a thumbs up. He nodded and together they jumped from the dark confines of the pipe.

They landed on a much larger pipe with a dull thud. Six let go of RK's hand and pushed herself into an upright position. RK, however, turned to look at the small tear in the metal wall behind them.

"Another one?" Six asked, mildly annoyed. RK nodded and she gritted her teeth. "Fine. We look."

"Okay," he said with an audible smile before scurrying away into the opening. Six followed silently.

Once inside, she observed the hideout. It was a simple room, with a door on the left side, and a wooden box in its middle. On the left side, there was an unlit lantern with a Nome huddled up beside it.

RK made a soft noise of concern, followed by a muffled popping noise, and crept closer to the Nome. He chittered quietly and took the small creature into his arms. It chirped and hissed and shook and he sighed. Six watched him for a moment before she moved forward to light the lantern. The poor thing deserved this small comfort.

"We go," she said afterward, already climbing the wooden box to reach the exit. RK made an affirmative noise in the back of his throat and released the Nome. The grey being purred and held its hands out to the lantern's flame.

Six left the room and began making her way across the pipe, knowing RK would follow. She walked slowly as she waited for him to catch up. He did quickly and then the boat shook and they were forced to halt their movement.

She hissed in distaste and grabbed her companion to ensure his safety. He returned her bruising grip and they listening to the loud rhythmic clanking of metal on metal.

The sound would not cease, so Six deemed it somewhat safe to keep moving. RK kept his tight grip on her and pointed to the large chain reel on their right side. Six observed the light hitting it and, despite herself, began to hope.

She pulled RK along at a slightly faster pace, careful of the wet, slippery metal underneath their feet. Soon they reached the end of the pipe and met a metal wall. Thankfully, there was a ladder. Six let go of RK's hand with some trepidation and grabbed onto the ladder. With a quiet grunt, she heaved herself up and placed her weight on the rusted metal of the ladder.

RK followed her example and they climbed up, up, up until they reached an open window. The light was blinding and the sound of the seagulls and ocean was deafening, but Six had never breathed air as clean as this and she had never felt like this before.

She was heavy and light at the same time: _euphoric_.

But, of course, good never lasted long in dark, cold places such as The Maw, even if it was on the edge of freedom. The shadows were far too abundant, and if you didn't stomp them out then they pulled you back in.

When RK gasped wetly and tugged on her raincoat, she came back to herself. She turned to look and he pointed a shaky finger towards the hungry Guests entering The Maw.

Six had heard many stories about the Guests when she lived with the monster in her dreams, but she had never seen them before. They looked different than what he had in mind. In her mind, she had seen looming, stretched out monsters with mouths and hands too wide to escape, but now she could see that she was very off.

The Guests were large and pudgy, almost like the bundles of ham in the Kitchen, and they all had masks over their sunken faces. They waddled as a single unit, the hunger clouding their minds like it tried to cloud hers, and, instead of hate, she felt pity.

As if burned, she jerked her gaze away from their grotesque forms and turned her attention back to the task at hand. RK pulled his gaze away for the Guests as well, but she could smell the fear on him even as he tried to hide it.

"I guess we go back in, huh?" he asked eventually, smiling bitterly. Six reached up to tug at her hood and hummed. Hands reached to take her own and RK engulfed her in a warm hug. He breathed in deeply and whispered, "we'll get out of here, no matter what. I won't let her hurt you again, I promise."

She let out a breath slowly, tears stinging her eyes, and returned the embrace. She let herself a brief moment of reprieve before she forcefully pulled herself together again.

"Yes, okay," she agreed. She then pulled away and reached for the chain in front of them. She gripped onto it firmly and prepared to climb once more. RK sniffed and did the same.

They climbed up and up and up, the chain morphing into a ladder the higher they went until they climbed through another window. Six crouched as soon as her feet meet metal and peered at the Guests making their way to the Feast. RK placed a hand on her shoulder and clambered ahead of her.

Almost as an afterthought, he held his hand out behind him and she took it gratefully. Together they snuck across the steel beam and into another hidden passage of The Maw.

They fell onto a vent with small wisps of smoke emitting from below it. Before them was another pipe, but this one was boarded up as if trying to keep something out. Six grabbed onto the wood hard enough to make it creak and ripped it from the pipe. The momentum sent her flying back into RK, who caught her, and the board flew from her fingers, landing on the vent with a thunk.

RK laughed quietly and moved to crawl into the now open passage. Sox followed and they crept through the leaking passage together.

Abruptly, the passage dropped off and they landed on a pipe. RK gasped and struggled to gain his balance for a moment as The Maw shook and thrummed with renewed energy. Six crouched low to keep her balance centered and pulled RK down with her. He came willingly and they shuffled towards the wooden platform built onto the pipe.

Once there, they looked up and saw the Guests making their way into the dining rooms. Six hissed under her breath and motioned for RK to stay as silent as possible. The boy nodded and they climbed up the wooden arch of the door. On their way up, Six spotted _her_ , the monster from her dreams, and she bared her teeth. She ignored the sudden visceral urge to rip and tear and eat _eat **eat**_  and pulled herself into the crevice that would lead them into the dining room.

RK grabbed her hand. "You okay?"

"Yes," she lied. He gave her a look of doubt, but let it go and she squeezed his hand in thanks. He squeezed back and she allowed herself a small smile.

"C'mon," he whispered, releasing her hand to take a few steps back before he rushed forward and jumped onto the light. He repeated this until he'd reached the other side.

Six rolled back onto the heel of her feet and closed her eyes. Then she jumped. Again and again and again until she reached the railing. RK smiled and took her offered hand and they squeezed through the sliding doors together.

The room they entered was filled with food and RK rushed to stuff his mouth with some of the food completely devoid of meat. After eating his fill, he stuffed a few parcels into his pockets and returned to her side. They then entered the adjoining room, one that contained a Guest.

They froze and Six made her breathing stay slow and rhythmic in an effort to ground both herself and RK. It worked as RK picked up on it and mimicked the technique. With slow, even breaths and wide, fearful eyes they hurried through the room and into the next one.

Unfortunately, they weren't careful enough and knocked over a bottle on the other side which made the eating Guest look at them. He grunted and yelled and scrambled to grab at them. Six panicked and grabbed RK, running away from the slobbering Guest as fast as her legs could carry her.

He yelled and screamed and reached as he crawled after them as fast as it could, which alerted the other Guests around them. They, however, refused to leave their meals so Six ignored them and pushed RK up into the next room. He turned and snatched the sleeve of her raincoat and heaved, pulling her up with him. He then raced to the table and climbed up the stool and onto the pile of dishes, tugging her along with him. Then, ignoring the Guests greedy hands, turned to her.

"Hold onto me really tight, okay?" he asked, placing her hands around his neck, a hand at her back to make sure she was secure, before he jumped and grasped at the light hanging above one of the Guests. The woman drooled at the sight of them and frantically reached and stretched for them, all while hugging and grunting and moaning.

RK swung from the light a few times, building their momentum, before he jumped from this danger and into the next. He held into Six as he jumps off the ledge of the open window and into the floor, only releasing her when he'd regained his equilibrium.

Then Six was taking his hand and leading the way. She dragged him deeper into this new room, past impossibly high stools, to the end of the table. A Nome, startled by their sudden arrival, skittered away into its hideout. RK's hands reached for the tiny creature, but Six shook her head, eyes downcast as she pointed to the Guests.

With a resigned breath, he nodded and pulled himself up onto the stool, Six following close behind. They then climbed onto the table and raced away from the reaching hands and jumped. They collided with the wall, tiny hands grasping the wooden patterns, as they prepared to climb.

Together they climbed until they reached the top and waited for the suspended tray to sway within their reach before they jumped. They landed on the tray with a thud and waited for it to say once more before they jumped down from it.

Instead of traveling through this room, they diverged from the path they'd been taking and backtracked slightly. They went to their right and then took a left, keeping as silent as possible as they snuck past the Guests. However, the hunger is strong and heightens the senses, especially smell.

The Guests screamed in excited joy and thrashed in their seats, frantically trying to stuff the children into their taking mouths. Six and RK were thankfully faster than the bulbous Guests, and they made it to the hanging light and across the gap just in time to avoid deadly teeth.

RK jumped down for the counter and Six observed the danger waiting for them before she followed. They ran into the sight of the Guest and back to the confined area they were in before in an effort to trick the Guest chasing them. It worked and he ran straight into the trap.

Six smiled and motioned for RK to follow her lead. She climbed up onto the Guest, RK behind her, and jumped off. When she landed safely, she broke into a sprint and raced for safety with her friend beside her.

The Guest roared in anger and scrambled at the pod for purchase, snapping jaws desperate for flesh between them. The children escaped from him easily by slipping away into one of the many crevices of The Maw.

The left the safety of the tiny room and fell out into a hallway. They righted themselves and heard the tell-tale sound of the elevator the Twin Chefs used to gets around The Maw. RK sent Six a panicked look and she snarled under her breath. She took his hand and ran away from the sound of Chef #1 chasing after them.

They found themselves in a bathroom and hid underneath the sink, holding their breath when the Chef came looking. Chef #1 gave the bathroom a cursory look before he decided to leave and return to his duties. RK sighed and crawled out from underneath the sink.

"That was close," he breathed with a nervous laugh. "I guess we should be more careful, huh?"

"Yes," Six nodded. "Dangerous. We must see."

RK laughed. "Yeah, I'll try to keep an eye out."

Six shot him an amused look before she began looking for a way out. The bathroom door was closed and they were both far too short to reach the handle. The mirror was shattered a bit at the corner, which was fairly odd. Perhaps it was a fake?

With this in mind, Six picked up the tin box that fell from the shelf when the Chef slammed the door closed and threw it at the mirror with all her might.

As she expected it would, the mirror fell away to reveal a secret room. RK let out a wheeze behind her and she turned to see him staring at her in disbelief. At her confused stare, he shook his head and waved her off.

"Nothing, nothing," he said when she kept staring. When he continued to say nothing else, Six gave up and climbed over the edge of the broken mirror and set to climb up the bars of the wall.

At the top, there is a vent that she has to push before she can pass through it. Once she'd done that, she stood next to the bars of a larger vent as she waited on RK.

He joined her soon after and together they balanced across a pipe and jumped onto the table. A statue rested kn this table and Six moved to destroy it, but before she has even neared it RK has pushed it off the edge and jumped down. He avoided the glass and looked up at her expectantly. Six shook her head and made to join him.

Once on the ground, they entered the elevator. They moved up quickly and once the elevator stopped moving, the left it and entered a long hallway with white sliding doors on the right.

They walked through this room with a healthy amount of suspicion and broke into sprints when the doors opened to reveal awakening Guests. They raced through the hallway, under tables and over dressers and on a dining table full of feasting Guests, with lungs burning and legs weakening, until they made it to the end of the dining table. Then they jumped, grabbed onto a hanging light, and rode it to the other side. Behind them, they heard a Guest scream as he fell to his death.

( _The Maw fed all hungers, especially its own_.)

Six turned to look at the writhing mass of Guests eager for their flesh before she forced herself to leave with RK.

The next hallway they entered had beautifully decorated doors on either side and both of them were extra cautious as they walked down it. But, thankfully, no Guests spilled from their confines so they relaxed marginally. That is until the hunger hit Six so violently that she fell to her knees and coughed so hard she gagged.

RK grabbed her shoulders immediately and pulled her into his arms. He tugged her along with him into they entered a room full of unwashed dishes and bits of food. Six groaned and gagged and bit at her own lips, greedily sucking at the blood to make the stabbing pain on her stomach cease. But it only made it worse and she cried out in pain, tears falling from her unnatural eyes in thick rivulets.

RK ground his teeth together hurriedly, jaws clicking and clacking as his neck twisted and popped anxiously. Six shivered and stuffed the sleeve of her raincoat in her mouth to keep from ripping his bobbing throat out.

( _You know you want to. Why do you resist your nature so, little Lady? It'd feel so good. You'd be so full_.)

"Six, look," RK said shakily, worry obvious in his voice. The chittering sound of Nomes reached her ears and she obliged, looking at the room.

Her eyes meet a Nome's. The pathetic creature was looking at her curiously from its perch on the stool, a large cut of ham under its arm, and her mouth flooded with saliva.

RK released her and she stumbled forward om shaky, weak legs until she fell forward, clutching her stomach. The Nome made a soft sound and left its safe place to approach her. It stopped just before her face - _right within reach, take it, kill it, eat it_ \- and extended out a thin, tiny arm to offer her its food.

Her own arm stretched out - _too long, too pale, too ugly_ \- and bypassed the cut of ham in favor of the living, breathing thing kn front of her. She wrapped her fingers around the delicate creature and sank her nails into its squirming body. Faintly, she heard someone cry out, but she paid them no mind. They were none of her concern when her hunger was so _so_ close to being sated.

She brought ghe creature closer to her mouth, deaf and blind to its squealing and struggling, and sank her teeth into its thin, little neck. Tendons and cartilage parted like butter and she swallowed her mouthful to take another and another and another, biting through tiny limbs and sucking blood organs down like candy until there was nothing but blood left.

She breathed heavily, tears mixing im with the blood and fell forward, hands coming to rest on the ground below her as he stomach gave a contented gurgle. With gasping breaths, she pushed herself up and turned wild eyes onto her friend who stared at her as if she was a monster.

"M'sorry," she cried, falling to her knees again, arms wrapping around her middle. "Was hungry, so hungry it hurt. M'sorry, so sorry."

"Why?" the boy who'd been a constant in her life for weeks asked hoarsely. "Why did you eat them? They were going to give you food and you ate them! Why?"

Six shool her head and sobbed.

"The hunger," she whispered, looking up to meet his eyes as it hit him. "You or them. I chose them, not you, never you."

RK said nothing for a long time as she cried. But he plopped down next her and placed his hand on her head.

( _The Maw takes all_.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end, folks! Can you believe it? I can't. Are you guys excited? I know I am. You guys are gonna be so shook, guaranteed!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you thought in the comments! 
> 
> If you want to chat, my Tumblr is [iwishihadbrain](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/iwishihadbrain).


	5. the lady (and the end)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This had me fucked up! I can't believe we're at the end! We're here! The end! It's over!

They stayed huddled up on the floor for quite some time before Six decided that it was finally time to move. RK let her, but he hovered over her nervously as if he was scared that she might shatter. Six wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she felt like she already had.

Her body ached and every movement sent a fresh wave of nausea to her already unsettled stomach. Worry and fear made her body and mind weak and she hated it. She knew that they should rest further, but they couldn't afford to wait any longer.

( _The Lady will wait for you, little one. She always has. You are so dear to her, after all_.)

She forced herself to her feet and rubbed the drying tear tracks on her cheeks. RK made a mournful noise and sidestepped the puddle of black blood as he made to follow her. She ignored the guilt pooling in her middle, as heavy as lead, and crept forward. Her eyes searched the room until the landed on an open window to their right. She motioned towards it and RK nodded, smiling shakily.

( _Oh, how cute; he's afraid of you, little Lady_.)

She clambered onto the box slowly and huffed as it made her already weakened body ache. She ignored the twitches of her muscles and heaved RK up. They then climbed through the opening and landed next to a line of vents with trash littered next to them. Six frowned and made for the ladder to the far right. She climbed it slowly, halting at the vent above her, and waited for the Lady to enter her personal elevator. She then climbed up and held the vent open for RK, waiting for him to join her at the top. Adrenaline began to override her spent body and she fidgeted in place.

( _Are you excited to see her again? She'll enjoy the visit_.)

Six fought to keep the manic grin off her face and sprinted to the door, RK hot on her heels. He grabbed her arm before she could walk into the elevator. She looked at him inquisitively and noted the paleness of his skin.

"She did this to you, didn't she?" he whispered after a moment. She frowned and he looked at the blood staining her raincoat. "She gave you this hunger, didn't she?"

"Yes," she answered honestly when his words finally registered.

His eyes flashed. "Then why are you going back to her? Why would you return after what she's done to you? To me? To everyone in this place? Why?"

"She raised me," Six confessed, pulling away from RK in shame. He seemed frozen. "She took me away from mainland. I hate her."

"I hate her too," RK said, stepping back into her space, hands grabbing her once more. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to risk my life to get revenge. I want to leave, Six. Let's just go, okay? Let's just leave. It'll be easy."

"No, can't go," Six denied, pulling away. "Too much hunger. Not safe."

RK looked desperate. "Then how do we make it safe?"

"Kill her," Six whispered lowly, "and take power."

"What? No, Six, you can't!" the body shouted, eyes wide and disbelieving. "You won't be able to leave then. You know that, right? We'll have to stay here forever!"

Six closed her eyes and nodded. "Only way to be safe."

RK continued to stare at her in disbelief before he looked away. Six waited for the elevator once again and entered the room, pleased when her companion followed.

"Thank you," she told him. He smiled, but his eyes were full of sorrow. He'd just given up everything.

They sat in silence once more, waiting anxiously for the elevator to stop at their doom. It did so with a cheerful ping, the doors creaking as they part, and the two children left the confines of the elevator willingly. They stepped out onto the creaky wooden floor and followed the plush purple rug to the hall.

Faintly, they could hear the Lady singing.

RK shivered at the sickly sweet sound and Six snarled in fury. Quickly, she grabbed RK's hand and squeezed it. He relaxed marginally and smiled weakly at her.

( _Doesn't scent the of fear smell so sweet? Don't you hunger, little Lady? We know you do. We feel it too, little Lady. So hungry. We want to eateat **eATEAT**_ -)

Six pushed on, ignoring the thoughts of the Maw, and started climbing up the stairs. RK eyed the locked door in front of them and shook his head sadly. Six noticed and released his hand.

"Stay," she whispered harshly before she went back to creeping up the stairs. RK choked and looked around anxiously. After a moment, he squared his shoulders and began following her. Six huffed and grabbed onto him once more.

"I won't let you do this alone," her companion insisted and she smiled. Together, they crept up the stairs until they were outside the Lady's private rooms. The two shared a determined look before they forced themselves to continue. 

Slowly, the snuck past the Lady, using the sound of her voice as a cover, and slipped into her room. Once there, they pushed themselves up from their crouched positions and walked past her bed.

There RK's eyes landed on a partially hidden painted portrait of a little girl wearing a yellow raincoat. He hid his surprise and helped Six climb on top of the dresser with the blue and white vase safely placed on it. Six shot him a quick smile and began pushing the vase off the edge of the dresser. It broke on impact, releasing a loud crash, and revealed the key they needed submerged in sand.

There was a loud gasp from the other room and the Lady's singing ended abruptly. RK gingerly grabbed the key and impatiently waited for Six. The girl jumped down from the dresser shortly after and the two made their way to the door.

They passed through the room with the broken mirror in tow quickly after a brief stop to allow Six to destroy another glass doll. It broke easily and the magic released from it dissipated in the air. It smelled of decay. RK made a disgusted noise and the two continued on their way.

Once they'd reached the door, they shoved the key into the lock and twisted. The lock fell onto the floor with the key still embedded in it. Six moved it aside and RK pushed the door open. 

They entered the cold hallway full of mannequins fearfully, hunched together for protection. The door slammed shut behind them and they shivered, their breath visible in the dark. Their eyes surveyed the mannequins suspiciously, scared that the Lady was hiding among them. These fears were not unfounded because soon the Lady revealed herself.

She lept forward from the shadows and raced after them, her mouth opened wide to release an ungodly sound. RK and Six broke out into a run and slipped underneath a bookshelf just as she reached them. She screeched in indignation and the children sighed in relief, their hearts frantic in their chests. 

After a moment of reprieve, they pushed on through the hallway and into a spacious room with mannequins littering the edges. Three Eyes were in the front of the room, flowing their every move. RK whimpered and tugged Six away from the stares.

There was an adjacent room, but it was boarded up. Six shared a look with RK and together they ripped a blank of wood off the door frame. It gave them just enough room to enter the room.

RK wiggled into the room and waited for Six, his quick, shallow breaths echoing in the enclosed space. Six huffed as she forced her small frame under the wood and clawed her way into the hidden room. Once there, she searched for the tool they would need to defeat the beast waiting for them outside.

Tears pricked her eyes when they landed on the small mirror in the middle of the room. She laughed breathlessly and retreived the simple object. RK sent her a questioning look and she smiled ferally.

He studied her expression before he smirked and the two left the safety of the room. They walked to their death, heads held high, and bared their teeth at the Lady waiting for them.

Each of them wielded the mirror like the weapon it was, forcing the Lady to face the truth and see the many mistakes littering her reign. They tortured her witg her truth until the mirror shattered and she fell onto the floor in a heap, her mask falling from her face as a pain filled scream left her ruby red lips.

Six hissed in victory and stalked towards the fallen woman, tugging her companion with her. The heady scent of blood hung in the air and, to RK's horror, his stomach grumbled along with Six's.

Together, they circled their prey like vultures, eyes searching for any hint of resistantce. When they found none, they pounced and sank their teeth into the woman's sweet flesh. It parted like the skin of a tomato under their blunt teeth and released a burst of flavor. Blood ran down their lips and splattered onto the floor in thick, wet dollops. They ripped and chewed and swallowed, never releasing each other, until nothing was left of the Lady of the Maw - nothing except her mask.

With a sense of grace neither of them had possessed before, they rose from their crouched positions and walked toward the innocent bloodstained mask laying on the floor. Six reached down and plucked it up. She held it out and RK obliged. He took the left side in hand and together they broke it in two. 

With secret smiles, they held the mask halves to their faces and let their free hands drop to their sides. The dark magic swirled around them and they smiled darkly.

They laughed and the magic obeyed, transporting them into the elevator with relish. They clutched each others hands tightly and twitched as their magic swirled around them. Beside him, Six began humming. When the elevator opened and showed them their victims, he joined in. 

They walked down the aisle, humming their song, and smiled. The lights above them flickered and shot. The Guests they walked past reached with greedy hands and snapped their jowls. They simply looked at them, sucking the souls from their grotesque bodies, and walked on.

They had nothing to fear anymore. They were strong now. They were in charge now. They would never be hungry again.

They waited with baited breath for the doors to open. When they did, they rushed forward, squinting their eyes against the sun, their last glimpse of freedom just beyond the door.

( _Oh, little Lady and little Lord! We have so much to show you!_ ) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the story! Thanks for sticking with it until the very end! You all have my love <3 <3 <3!
> 
> In case you guys want to talk or have any questions, my Tumblr is [iwishihadbrain](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/iwishihadbrain).


End file.
